Transparent file separator



Aug. 30, 1966 A. e. MCLAIN 3,269,392

RANSPARENT FILE SEPARA'I Filed March so, 1965 INVENTOR ANN 6. MC LAIN Agent 3,269,392 Ice Patented August 30, 1966 3,269,392 TRANSPARENT FILE SEPARATOR Ann G. McLain, Cartersville, Ga., assignor to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Filed Mar. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 446,775 4 Claims. (Cl. 12926) This is a continuation-in-part of application Serial Number 197,964, filed May 28, 1962, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a file separator of a transparent nature, and more particularly to a separator that when inserted between adjacent cards or pieces of correspondence in a file will separate the adjacent members at :an appropriate or convenient angle for ease of transcribing or copying data thereon while permitting complete visibility thereof and leaving both hands of the transscriber free to transcribe the desired information.

Heretofore a person using, for example, a card catalogue drawer in a library for extracting by copying or transcribing information on a card, such as the catalogue number, has experienced difficulty in keeping the card containing the desired information separated from the cards forward of it. While this can and has been accomplished by insertion of some objects such as a pencil, eraser or even the transcribers fingers, this has not always resulted in keeping the cards separated a sufificient distance for transcribing of the information or is somewhat time consuming and perplexing at times since the entire card may not be visible. Such an arrangement is all the more time consuming if the transcribing party has to use one hand to keep the cards separated while trying to type a written copy of the extracted information is this means the typing must be performed with one and.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a file separator of a size and shape that will provide an appropriate separation between adjacent items in a file to facilitate the visibility of a desired filed item.

It is another object of this invention to provide a file separator of a transparent nature so that when inserted between adjacent items in a file the desired item will be completely visible in its entirety,

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a file separator of a transparent nature that when inserted between adjacent items of a file will make the desired item visible in its entirety and will leave both hands of the transcribing party completely free for writing or otherwise copying the desired information.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of this invention inserted in a card catalogue drawer;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded isometric view of the embodiment of this invention depicted in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a view of the separator parts depicted in FIGURE 2 in their assembled relation.

Generally stated, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a pair of isosceles triangular shaped fiat members of any appropriate transparent material which are maintained apart in a substantially parallel relative relationship by an interconnecting bridging member that is likewise of any appropriate transparent material. The apices of the triangular shaped end members are arranged so that when the separator is inserted between adjacent pieces of material in a file, the apices are pointed downwardly so that the adjacent pieces of filed material are separated in a divergingly upward manner.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the separator 1 comprises a pair of end plates or members 2 and 3 which are made of any appropriate transparent material such as a plastic sheet of a sufiicient thickness to impart some rigidity to the assembled separator 1. End plates 2 and 3 are maintained in a substantially parallel relative relationship by a bridging member 4 which are jointed together by any appropriate connecting or securing means, it being preferred that the securing means be of an adhesive nature rather than fasteners of a screw type to prevent any obstruction of visibility. Bridging member 4 is likewise of any appropriate transparent material and of a suflicient thickness to impart some rigidity to the assembled separator l.

The lower edge 5 of bridging member 4 is tapered to match approximately the tapering of the edges of the triangular end members 2 and 3.

As can be seen more specifically from FIGURE 1, the separator 1 is shown inserted between a plurality of cards 6 in a card catalogue or file drawer 7. In some cases there is a locking or restraining rod 8 that passes through openings in the cards 6 to prevent their withdrawal from the drawer without release of the lock rod 8. In order to accomplish complete insertion of the separator 1 between adjacent file pieces 6 I provide a cutout 9 along the bottom edge of bridging member 4 so that when the separator 1 is inserted, the locking rod or retaining rod 8 passes into cutout 9. It is to be further understood that the bridging member 4 may be of a shorter width than that depicted so that the lower edge 5 when the separator 1 is assembled may be at any convenient location above the apices of end members 2 and 3 so as to obviate the need for a cutout 9 and still leave clearance for the retaining rod 8; the critical point being that bridging element 4 is of a suflicient width so as to impart sufiicient rigidity to the assembled separator 1 to prevent or avoid damage or breakage of the separator 1 during normal handling and usage.

In operation, a person, desiring to transcribe information from cards 6, such as that indicated by the numeral 10, can thumb or flip through the cards or file pieces 6 contained in catalogue or drawer 7 and when a card or file piece 6 comes up from which information is desired to be tnanscribed therefrom, the party making the copying or transcribing can insert the separator 1 in front of the card having the desired information to copy, thereby separating the cards in front of the card to copy a sufiicient distance to make the data on the card clearly visible both from the viewpoint of a sufiicient separation distance from the card immediately preceding it and by visibility through the separator 1 due to the transparency thereof. This in turn permits the transcribing person to have both hands free for copying or transcribing the information whereby it may be handwritten. or typed.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A file separator comprising:

a pair of fiat isosceles triangular shaped end members of transparent material, each of said end members having a first edge and a second edge of equal length and a third edge connected to said first and second edges at the ends thereof;

a fiat rectangular shaped bridging member of transparent material having two pairs of opposed edges;

said bridging member interconnecting said end members for maintaining said end members in a spaced and substantially parallel relative relation;

said interconnection being by a first pair of opposed edges of said bridging member being secured to the confronting surfaces of said end members;

the ends of one edge of the second pair of opposed edges of said bridging member meeting each of said confronting surfaces of said end members proximate the mid-point of said third edge of said end member; and

said first pair of opposed edges of said bridging member extending along said end member confronting surfaces from proximate said mid-point of said third edge toward the apex of the angle opposite said third edge.

2. An article of manufacture comprising:

a pair of flat isosceles triangular shaped end members of transparent material, each of said end members having a first edge and a second edge of equal length and a third edge connected to said first and second edges at the ends thereof;

a flat rectangular shaped bridging member of transparent material having two pairs of opposed edges, one edge of which is convergingly tapered to a line along its longitudinal extent;

said bridging member interconnecting said end members for maintaining said end members in a spaced and substantially parallel relative relationship;

said interconnection being by a first pair of opposed edges of said bridging member being secured to confronting surfaces of said end members;

the ends of said tapered edge of the second pair of opposed edges of said bridging member meeting each 4 of said confronting surfaces of said end members proximate the angle apex of the end member formed by said first edge and said second edge thereof, said first pair of opposed edges of said bridging member proximately bisecting said angle apices formed by said first and second edges; and said first pair of opposed edges of said bridging member extending along said end member confronting surfaces from proximate said tangle apices toward an intermediate part of said third edges of the end members opposite said apices, 3. An article of manufacture as in claim 2, further including a cutout portion in said convergingly tapered edge of said bridging member.

4. An article of manufacture as in claim 2, wherein the included angle of said convergingly tapered edge of said bridging member is substantially equal to the included angle of said end member apices.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FILE SEPARATOR COMPRISING: A PAIR OF FLAT ISOSCELES TRIANGULAR SHAPED END MEMBERS OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID END MEMBERS HAVING A FIRST EDGE AND A SECOND EDGE OF EQUAL LENGTH AND A THIRD EDGE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND EDGES AT THE ENDS THEREOF; A FLAT RECTANGULAR SHAPED BRIDGING MEMBER OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING TWO PAIRS OF OPPOSED EDGES; SAID BRIDGING MEMBER INTERCONNECTING SAID END MEMBERS FOR MAINTAINING SAID END MEMBERS IN A SPACED AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATIVE RELATION; SAID INTERCONNECTION BEING BY A FIRST PAIR OF OPPOSED EDGES OF SAID BRIDGING MEMBER BEING SECURED TO THE CONFRONTING SURFACES OF SAID END MEMBER; THE ENDS OF ONE EDGE OF THE SECOND PAIR OF OPPOSED EDGES OF SAID BRIDGING MEMBER MEETING EACH OF SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES OF SAID END MEMBERS PROXIMATE THE MID-POINT OF SAID THIRD EDGE OF SAID END MEMBER; AND SAID FIRST PART OF OPPOSED EDGES OF SAID BRIDGING MEMBER EXTENDING ALONG SAID END MEMBER CONFRONTING SURFACES FROM PROXIMATE SAID MID-POINT OF SAID THIRD EDGE TOWARD THE APEX OF THE ANGLE OPPOSITE SAID THIRD EDGE. 